Air Force One Turns Back: Electrical Issue Forces Return to Base

Air Force One returned to Joint Base Andrews late Tuesday with President Trump on board after experiencing a “minor electrical issue,” a White House official said. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that Mr. Trump would board a different plane at the base and continue on to Switzerland, where he is expected to address the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. The plane turned around “out of an abundance of caution” after crew identified the issue shortly after takeoff, Ms. Leavitt said. Some of the cabin lights in the aircraft were not working. Mr. Trump has frequently complained about Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200B that has been in service since the 1990s. His first administration renegotiated a contract with Boeing for two new 747-8 planes. They are not expected to be finished before the end of his second term. In May, the Trump administration accepted a new 747-8 jetliner from the government of Qatar, which will require extensive work before it can be considered secure enough to be used as Air Force One. It was unclear how long the Defense Department would need to build security measures into the new plane. This is a developing story that will be updated.